[ADVENTURE] 🦸🏻‍♀️ 🦸‍♂️DnD: Booking the Best Fantasy Adventure Film of 2023

Although we're only a quarter of the way through 2023, I think Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) is already an early booking for the best fantasy adventure movie of the year! There are three D&D game adaptations, none of which have been "okay", so I wasn't counting on this one. But! Surprise! It is unexpectedly good!

The crew knows the world of Dungeons & Dragons and the tabletop role-playing format so well that it feels like an immersive gaming adventure. As a viewer, I traveled with the protagonists through the diverse Faerûn and explored the crisis-ridden city. In the journey, I join them in their quest to find powerful magical objects and defeat the dark forces that seek to rule the world.

Actress Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga, the Barbarian. Michelle has previously played several classic hardcore female roles in the Fast and Furious series, Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), S.W.A.T. (2003), Lost, Avatar (2009), and many more. The role of Holga was tailor-made for her, tough, fiery character with a muscular appearance. (Barbarians pride themselves on their animal instincts and use the power of rage to increase their abilities in battle. Some barbarians can even use animal spirits to awaken the wildest powers of their souls.)

Actor Chris Pine plays the human bard Elgin, who previously played Captain Kirk in Star Trek: into Darkness and Wonder Woman's first love Steve Trevor. He is a popular actor and his sunny, kind-hearted persona perfectly matches his portrayal of Elgin. (Bards use music and the magical power of words to strengthen or heal their partners, charm and disrupt their enemies at a distance, or strengthen their swords and armor through music in discreet combat.)

As a DnD player, I found it particularly enjoyable. I witnessed all their struggle to escape from the dragon's maw with their limited combat power and skills, to break through cleverly designed traps, to find alternative ways to solve their predicament, and finally to rescue the world despite all the risks. Family, friendship and love, as well as wealth, honor and respect - everything we want in a game, the film has it all!

The interspersing of magic really shines through, especially the brilliant camera transitions of portal-related appearances and the escape of the Druid. Accurate character behavior, copious detail, clever ambushes and suspense, humorous jokes, and spitefulness combine to create a wonderfully entertaining story of a slightly clichéd adventure. The story is so well-paced that it's like playing a game when you watch it.

If you're a viewer who hasn't played DnD before, don't stress, this movie doesn't require a gaming experience! The first hour may require a little adjustment time to familiarise yourself with the film's city-state locations, character relationships, and the particular skills of each race. There is no dullness. The directors tell the story so vividly that it catches the viewer's eye every moment. It is easy to walk into this vast world.

In this film, magic is not just an element that serves the plots, but a cornerstone of people's lives and thoughts; fantasy creatures are not just an embellishment to add flavor to the film, but an integral part of the world's ecological chain; and fantasy worlds are not just a child's mind's eye, but a virtual space that you can immerse yourself in.

The film has an impressive long scene of a scramble, a replica of the game, and the two directors shot it in one take. It's a shame it wasn't in IMAX, but I hope to see the sequel in IMAX sometime in the future! I recommend all those who love fantasy and are curious to go to the cinema and experience the unique colorful and magnificent Dungeons & Dragons!